All recognizable characters are the intellectual property of Mrs. Stephenie Meyer, or their respective owners. The plot and the other characters are the intellectual property of ME. No part of this fanfiction may be reproduced without my permission. No monetary gain is being made from this work.
Formatting for the next few chapters will be a bit different. The battle chaps will be VERY fast paced, and will jump from scene to scene with little warning. It's much less confusing if I do this in 3rd person POV, so that's what you've got.
By the time you reach the end of this, you're going to wonder when you'll be seeing the next part. The answer is this: I'm writing it as you read. The more reviews that come, the faster the next chapter shows. I'd hate to make you wait... ;) We broke 600 last chapter, and for that, I thank you.
That being said. Enjoy: "The Last Battle: Part I"
3rd person POV
The Cullen-Chevalier team rushed into the stone archways that would lead upwards from the bowels of Volturi castle. They were soon assaulted by the rush of a huge herd of rapidly thumping hearts, and the mouth watering scent which naturally coincided. Very few guardsmen had been stationed to watch over the humans, as they were naturally a weaker species. As the small army of vampires overwhelmed the guard, some mistakenly stopped to feed. Jasper ordered them onward, and Emmett pulled a pair of men off of their meal of emaciated adolescents. Humans were trampled en masse in the ongoing battle to overthrow Volturi reign. Unfortunately, the captives were considered collateral damage that would be easily overlooked, as they crawled their way to the top of a tall rock face.
Even for a vampire, the climb was difficult, as there were few decent places to place your feet. Each vampire used their fingers to dig their own finger holes, and slowly traveled up the cliff side. Even with perfect vampiric vision, it was nearly impossible to see the top of the cliff. Moving at vampire speed, the climb would still be a long one. Once a human had the misfortune of tumbling down the dark depths of that cliff, they would have never again made the journey upwards.
Edward led a wave of insurgents upwards, to the throne room. Having never been inside the castle, he had to rely solely on directions proffered by Marie, and Carlisle. They passed their way through stone hallway, after stone hallway. No passage seemed different from the rest, all holding unlit ancient torches, which seemed no worse for wear, despite the centuries of disuse. After several minutes of dark twisting tunnels, Edward saw the telltale marble double doors that he was searching for.
Everyone stopped automatically, and stilled to absolute silence, at the raising of Edward's closed fist. He was focusing on the minds inside the throne room. Their arrival had not gone unnoticed, but there was only one way in, and one way out. He could hear Caius' cool thoughts, and knew that, at the very least, one Volturi brother was inside, and there was no chance of escape. Edward pulled a lighter from his pocket, and with a mere flick of his finger, which could be heard across football fields, he lit the torch closest to the door. The dry, dead wood caught fire with a 'woosh', and instantly crackled with life. He brandished it like a club, and tested the weight of it in his fingertips.
"Chaaaaaarrrrrrgggge!" Edward roared, crashing wildly through the marble doors, as if they were made of naught more than silk. A long trail of venom slid out of his open mouth, and dripped onto the floor, near his shoes, as he pointed his crew onward. Edward Cullen earned his place as ruler, as he set the example for his people to follow. He jumped into the fray with gusto, picking minds for the most dangerous creature amongst them, for his first hit.
Marie, Carlisle, and Elizabeth led a small group of vampires deeper into Volturi Castle, to find the, hopefully, undisturbed tomb of the final missing Ancient. They, too, passed through mile after mile of unremarkable stone passageways. Here in the underbelly, there were fewer comforts like decorative drapes. Anything that was purely decorative was mostly rotted away, or badly molded in the damp air. Unlit torches lined the walls, spaced precisely every two feet, one on each side of the hallway. This deep into the castle, there were no windows. Everything was pitch black, and it was a good thing indeed that vampires didn't need any amount of light to see.
There were more Volturis below ground, and their group had seen their fair share of fighting. Fortunately for the Cullen-Chevalier's, each of them knew to avoid being within arm's length of Marie. Most of the Volturi guard had never seen a vampiress quite like Marie, and the first time she outstretched her bone white fingertips, to shoot out an uncontrollable blast of fire, she roasted six creatures. They dropped to the cobblestone within seconds, rendered totally useless by the flames.
The Volturis, seeing their brothers and sisters drop like stones at the flaming hands of this woman, all scattered in a panic. Everyone was running left and right, grabbing whatever opponent was stupid enough to get within arms length of their enemy. With minimal Cullen-Chevalier casualty, the group continued on. Carlisle decided to bring up the rear, and try to rush the stragglers.
They broke through a worn wooden door, already partially decayed from the dampness of the air around them, when they saw a sight that made their eyes pale. Their group of thirty vampires was outmatched by sixty of the guard. They stood motionlessly, in a perfectly spaced formation, looking every bit as intimidating as they were rumored to be. Marie stood proudly at the spearhead of their formation, and she looked Aro directly in the eyes.
His own expression turned from one of overly smug, to slightly staggered when he noticed the sheer determination in her demeanor. Every curve of her body, and every plane of her face screamed hatred, anger. He'd seen that look in her eyes when they'd battled together in the past. She was a fierce warrior, who needed to be revered, and never taken lightly. He'd learned that when battling the werewolves in days long gone. As he looked into her hard, stony eyes, he knew that this day would come, and yet he couldn't focus fully on his task here today. He instead found himself thinking over the very beginning of her immortal life, and his hope that she would accept the position of his second wife. The uniting of two impossibly powerful kingdoms. He thought over how her people had been all but destroyed; only the most coveted had been offered a place beside Aro. A place of distinction. He smiled when he thought about those precious few having to fight against their former Mistress. She would finally see their disloyalty with her own eyes, and he hoped that it stung.
Unconsciously, he reached his hand towards her, but she did not return the gesture. Her posture became more rigid, and she crouched low, as if ready to spring. It was quite clear that she came with only domination on her mind. Reconciliation did not appear to be even a remote possibility, and he was surprised by how much that bothered him. For several exaggerated moments, they simply stared at each other, allowing the centuries of hatred, and unresolved emotions to flow between them, like a living force. He watched as her icy blue eyes slowly filtered, and faded, into that milky red, without the pupil. He hadn't seen that stare in centuries, and yet, when he saw it first hand, he couldn't stop the fear from slowly creeping in. This little fight would end badly for one side, and he wasn't as confident as he could have been, that he would be the man on top. The stagnant air around them seemed heavier, and more oppressive under the weight of their powerful opposition.
In slow motion, Marie rose, and took three fluid steps forward. Aro strolled quietly to meet her, and both armies began to slowly close the distance between them. With the odds this far against them, the Cullen-Chevaliers could be surrounded within moments. Silently, Marie raised one hand straight into the air, high overhead. "Go." She said, in naught above a whisper. Every ear within the stone room heard, however, and as Marie outstretched both her hands to mow down her enemies, all hell broke loose.
Ileana, Vladimir, Jasper, and Emmett Marched the majority of the army up and into the largest part of the castle. The Palazzo del Priori was a huge clock tower on the outskirts of the palace. The clock tower was the largest, open aired space inside the castle walls, and Marie had foreseen the bulk of the battle taking place out in the square. As they slowly crept upwards and outwards, their apprehension grew. There was no opposition. Nothing to stop them, and not even a soul to see that they were there. It wasn't until they saw the first billows of smoke that they knew they were in trouble.
Fiery boulders, wrapped in cloth, soaked in accelerant, began to rain down on the unsuspecting group. While most were able to easily dodge the flames, some were either too slow, or too busy noticing the huge crowd of more than a hundred of the Volturi's most coveted guard. In a square less than half the size of a football field, intermittently broken up by beautifully manicured hedges and rose gardens, the future of all immortal kind would be decided.
Edward rushed in, with his army close on his heels. He charged at the first creature that he could find. The boy before him was no older than Edward, and his eyes seemed a vibrant, living red, which suggested that his human life had only recently ended. The boy's thoughts were also very random, fickle, and all over the place; which supported the newborn theory. Edward danced left, and then right, and then, sensing that his partner was about to launch, he sidestepped him. He tore off the boy's skull with a sickening 'crack', and then lit the head on fire. So long as the head burned, the rest of the body was virtually useless. After swiftly dismembering, and throwing the body parts in random directions, he moved onto the next closest kill.
The small room was crowded to bursting with bodies. Everything was a dizzying blur of flying arms, legs, and heads all battling for supremacy. Occasionally, smoke would billow, and neither side would know which had lost a member. All that could be done, was to be thankful that it wasn't them, and that they had lived to fight for yet another aimless moment.
Marie sprung up from the cold cobblestone floor and propelled herself forward, arms and legs seemingly running through mid-air. She latched herself upon Aro, immediately sinking her teeth into his neck. He could feel the venom passing between them, and he wrapped his hands tightly around her waist. He pushed violently, shoving her off of him, but removing a small chunk of his neck in the process. Wincing, he wiped the trickle of venom slowly weeping down his neck, and lowered himself into an offensive position. From her crouch, at his feet, she flipped into the air, and landed high up on his back. Three guardsmen came to their master's rescue; his personal shield, Renata, amongst them. Part of Marie's orders had been to make sure that both Renata, and Chelsea were the first to be taken care of. Carlisle, Paul, and Elizabeth were all concentrating on the tiny woman, who's sole job was to protect Aro della Volturi from all physical attacks.
Just before Renata could be permanently dispatched, Chelsea Volturi pushed a wave of enmity through the room. It tore through like a hurricane, and within moments, most of Marie's army was torn to mere whithers. With a mighty, two legged kick, Marie pushed Aro back, and took off after Chelsea's bobbing ponytail. She couldn't let her get away, or they wouldn't have an army left to fight.
Sounds of stones breaking, cracking, falling, and thundering could easily be heard all around the castle perimeter. Even by normal, human standards, the night was rife with activity. To any civilians unfortunate enough to be in the area, they would likely think that there was a serious bowling competition taking place. The palace was often host to exotic crowds, and events, and even as it was, the noise level was unlikely to arouse too much suspicion. Thankfully, it was very late at night, and there were few humans wandering the country lanes of Volterra, Italy.
Those vampires sparring outside the palace, were scrambling to outrun not only their opponent, but also burning hedges and grasses. Those present in the gardens could easily discern the battle happening within. The sound of near invincible bodies crashing into, and in some cases through the heavily fortified ancient stone walls peppered the entire castle perimeter. Vladimir reached out, and touched the hand of his mate, each looking determinately into the other's eyes. They only had a fraction of a moment to spend on each other. Volturi guardsmen began to throw themselves off the top of the clock tower, which was loudly chiming twelve, as they did so.
The air vibrated around them, with each pulse of the clock tower's bell. The light of the full moon shone brightly as each member of the Cullen-Chevalier army fought to win the upper hand in a battle that was clearly one sided. By herself, off to the side, Abby hid, trying to remember everything she'd been taught. She hadn't managed more than just a mere tingling of her fingers, but there hadn't been much of a need. Now, her people depended on her, and she knew that with the fires growing rapidly out of control, not only could it kill her friends, but it could also bring in the unwelcome addition of curious humans. Adding humans into the mix would only make their problems that much worse.
Perfectly still, hiding inside a large, empty water barrel, she sat cross-legged, listening to the battle raging around her. She didn't know how long she could possibly go unnoticed, so she tried her best to work quickly. Zafrina had told her that the first step was always to let her surroundings fade away. A clear mind would be the best environment to foster a talent that was still very new.
'Can you feel your feet?' Zafrina asked. Abby nodded, wiggling her toes. 'Your fingers?' Abby flexed them, and then tightened them around Zafrina's hands. 'Concentrate on your breathing, and keep it slow, and even. In through your nose, out through your mouth.'
Abby breathed in, and pushed the air out through her mouth, and as she focused more and more on slowing her breathing, the pulsing, snapping, and burning of flesh and earth slowly dropped away.
Vladimir looked up at the crystal clear full moon, hanging high in the sky. It cast an eerie blue glow on all the pale bodies grappling in the square. Slowly, steadily, the wind began to sway the trees. He eyed the grass burning around him, and lunged towards a foe left dangerously out into the open.
The faceless vampire Vladimir picked as his next foe, snapped his teeth, when he felt the force of Vlad's approach. Just in time, the long haired man turned, and braced himself for impact. Vlad noticed that the vampire was strong, and also very quick. Such benchmarks were a sure sign of a long, and prosperous immortal life. He reached for the man's arms, and pulled them around his back. Ileana appeared then, and separated his legs from his body; torn off at the hips. Once the legs were dispatched of, she went for the head. As she twisted and pulled, angry red fissures formed up his neck, and throughout his face. The vampire's face contorted in horror, as he realized his day of reckoning had come. How many hundreds of years had he walked this earth with the knowledge that he would live forever, only to meet his end so quickly. A final sickening snap of metal, and a light toss into the burning grass brought about the end of one more vampire. The winds around them picked up in intensity, bringing the fire nearer to the battle, spreading it over more of the castle grounds. Ileana felt a drip of water fall onto her cheek, as she looked up into the slowly clouding sky above.
"Alice!" Edward screamed, violently bending his current opponent's spine the wrong way, in an effort to get to his immortal sister. She was currently being overshadowed by a creature more than triple her weight. His greasy black locks fanned around him like a peacocks tail as he swung around to deliver a ferocious kick to her midsection. He clearly rivaled Emmett in size, though contained none of their brother's jovial nature. On the contrary, this dark skinned vampire had nothing but immortal death on his mind, and Alice was the first girl on his dance card.
Alice spared less than a moment to flick her eyes in Edward's direction. It was nearly impossible to see anything in the throne room. Limbs were all over, and there was literally standing room only. People from the outside battle had begun to pull inwards, into the castle, to escape the flames, making the already crowded throne room even more so. There wasn't a vampire in the room who hadn't been hit by a flying limb, some of which were already on fire, and those that weren't, were wriggling along the stone floor aimlessly looking for the rest of it's body. They were in the most heated moment of battle thus far, and could smell burning foliage from the nearby gardens.
The moonlight filtered through the ornate stain glass window behind Alice, as she slowly shifted in a circle. Her opponent was not particularly agile, but when he struck, it was lightning fast. When Edward had called to her, it had been to warn her of an impending strike. Thankfully, she had already seen his next move in a vision, and had adjusted her position accordingly.
A split second decision on her opponent's part found the two of them tumbling through the floor to ceiling stained glass panes, and spilling out into the burning grassland. A slow drizzle was building in intensity, and slowly, the spreading fire was finally beginning to retreat.
Her opponent rolled so that he was on top, and gave her a devilish grin. The vision that slammed through her made her furious, and she propelled herself to the right, rolling them several times, until the man's body met flames. The heat that seared into his skin, instantly melting his clothes, and surprised him enough that she was able to dismember him. She was circled by another three Volturi soldiers before she could finish feeding his pieces to the fire.
The sickly sweet smell of burning flesh blew closer, and Edward realized that the lush curtains, near the broken stained glass window, had caught fire. Indoors, a fire would spread very quickly, and both friend and foe could be destroyed within moments. He did what he could to quicken his pace, but with three separate battles reaching a fevered pitch, the mental voices around him were causing him to lose his focus. He gritted his teeth, and lunged at his nameless, faceless opponent.
'You need to feel the energy flowing through you.' She said quietly, regarding Abby patiently. 'When you're concentrating on your breathing, raise your chin to the sky. Picture just the barest pinprick of light, twinkling into the heavens. It's the only bright point in the sky; you'll know it when you see it. Now, watch as the light slowly brightens in intensity. Can you see it begin to pulsate?' Abby continued to focus on her breathing, and began to picture a crystal clear night sky. Easily, she was able to conjure up the image of a small pinpoint in the sky, and she allowed herself to revel in it's healing light.
'With each throb of the light, it draws closer. Abby, can you feel it's warmth on your face? See the light as it begins to slowly twirl, and fan out waves of energy. Do you feel the power radiating from the light as it nears your skin? Raise up your fingertips in supplication, Abby. Call the energy closer, and bid it inside your body, by way of your fingers. Make yourself a conduit for this spiritual energy; this is your gift.'
Abby, still sitting inside her barrel, could feel the heat surrounding her. She had managed to conjure up a steady drizzle, but in order to do what she needed to, she would have to kick up a real storm. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to practice her gifts. She raised her hands, and tried to force herself to feel the familiar burn of the Goddess' energy. Truth be told, she felt nothing. This was her hour of need, and though she knew that she should focus solely on her power, a small part of her mind was focusing on the fact that she was failing. Her army needed her, and she was failing them.
'Bring the light closer, Abby. Can you see it? Feel the heat on your skin, and the tingling as the spirit energy draws nearer. Accept it into your fingers, and feel the power as it flows through your veins. Can you feel the heat in your hands, Abby?' Abby could feel something tingling in her arms, so she nodded. 'It may only be a little, Abby. In the beginning, it's hard to know what you're looking for, so if you're feeling something...anything that's different, focus hard on it. Focus on the sensation, and make it grow. Make that little pinprick into a raging desert sun. Turn that 'nothing' into 'something unmistakable'. Once you draw on your powers, you can send them forth. Christ help the creatures that dare to cross you, once you figure out what you're doing.'
Abby rose from her hiding place, feeling the burning, as it blazed down her raised arms, and into her torso. She winced as it tore straight through to her toes, and when she opened her eyes, she literally saw red. Each swipe of her hands brought forth a strong gust of wind, directing the already burning flames towards her enemies. She had harnessed the power of wind. A triumphant smile spread quickly across her features, as she used a particularly strong gust to rescue a member of her party, by sending their opponent backwards, knocking over a tree.
The burning around them had slowed considerably, as the rainstorm had picked up quite a bit. She pushed her hands outward, in a move akin to a kung-fu punch. As she thrust her arm outward, fingers curled inward, and palms facing out, she could feel the energy as it pushed outward from her hands. Thunder crackled loudly in the sky. Eyes open, she focused on the scene around her. Jasper and Emmett were struggling to pull a group of Volturis off of little Alice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the woman who had been identified as 'Heidi'. She thrust the heel of her hand outward once more, and cried out in triumph as a gorgeously crafted bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and incinerated the earth just to the left of Heidi's boots.
Marie tore after Chelsea, who seemed hell bent on retreating to another part of the castle. Unlucky for Chelsea, Marie knew the palace just as well as she did, as if Marie had been there just yesterday, and not nearly five hundred years prior. Marie could hear that someone was in hot pursuit behind her, but did not fight it. She couldn't tell whether it was friend, nor foe. There were so many of both types around, her eyes simply burned all the time.
Chelsea ran straight through a set of broken, marble double doors, and found herself in the midst of another battle. As soon as she paused for just enough time to turn Edward's people against him, Marie sent a wave of fire out from her fingers, and thrust it in Chelsea's general direction. Unfortunately, someone from their side was caught in the blaze, and it gave Chelsea just enough time to escape. Edward, realizing what was going on, blew past Marie and his mother, calling for his troops to follow them deeper into the castle. Lightning began to pelt down on the fields around the castle grounds, and the windows allowed the light to filter in eerily.
Arms and legs pumping, he darted down a long, narrow hallway, which began to wind to the left. Mental voices pelted him from all sides, confusing him mercilessly. He gripped his head tightly with his fingertips as he darted after Chelsea. Drapes whipped sideways in Edward's wake, and he could hear Marie and Elizabeth's footsteps thundering behind them. A random body slammed through the thick stone of the castle walls, and Edward screeched to a stop. He could smell faint traces of burnt rubber as he stopped short. Emmett was wrestling with Marcus, who was turning out to be more than a worthy opponent.
Edward's eyes flicked from Chelsea's quickly retreating form, and his brother, grappling with an ancient as bulky as he was. Marie yelled for him to go, and sent a warning blast of flames to send him on his way. Without looking back, Edward once again roared to call his soldiers deeper into the shadows of Volturi castle. They were suffering heavy losses, and would need to condense, and reorganize, if anyone was going to make it out alive.
Oh shit! What's gonna happen next? Previews will be sent if you review! If you think this chapter was big, wait till you see Part II... Serious laptop throwing situations ahead. Danger Sexy-Edward-Cullen! Danger!
Like I said, review for a preview. :)
My birthday was faboo, btw. There wasn't enough alcohol in the state of NJ to ease up my hangover. And Like Katy Perry says, I'll be doing it all again next week!